Keep i7-3770k, or upgrade GPU?

[ChriffeR]

Hey guys so I bought a 3770k and a gtx 960, the other day while I have my i5-2500k stored away. I can get my 2500k to 4.6ghz+ np and have reached 5ghz, and the temps are AMAZING. I swapped it to an i7 because I wanted to start streaming and for the future when games possible use an i7. I'm kinda not really digging the whole streaming situation and was wondering if I'd get more of a boost if I returned the CPU and got a better GPU, or keep the current set-up?

 

[ChriffeR]

Do you guys still recommend the 290x, over the 970 due to the 3.5gvram on the 970s

 

[spentshells]

They perform about the same, You really can't loose.

 

[Karadjgne]

If you've ever seen any posts on 290x's, there is always 1 thing mentioned, and 1 thing everyone will agree with. R9 290x run hot. I mean Hot. And all that heat has to go somewhere, and with a standard aftermarket 290x, the heat goes into the case. Airflow and case cooling is smaller cases can present quite a challenge when a 290x is involved. The addition of liquid cooling to this particular card is a godsend. Slap the radiator up as rear exhaust, and in 1 small stroke, case temps plummet for the most part, as the only gpu responsible heat comes from the VRM's and memory, not the gpu itself. For ppl running aircoolers on the cpu, this is great, since the fan is no longer pumping overheated air through the tower.

Cpu temps drop, gpu temps over extended duration drop, its more than just 'fun' it's a win-win situation all around.

 

[ChriffeR]

Thanks for the detailed reponse, yeah I used to use closed loop corsair but switched to hyper 212 because I prefer the Air cooling because it cools the entire case better and actually yields the same results or near it as my old H80.